Influences of Religion and Spirituality in Medicine and Addiction Treatment

With an estimated 69% of Americans believing in religion or spirituality, it is essential to view the influences of these aspects on addiction treatment.

Loss of Faith and How It Affects Addiction

Addiction and loss of faith exist in a particular relationship, with losing faith as both the catalyst and consequence of addiction. For many, religion and spirituality provide a sense of comfort and a source of strength in the face of daily challenges. As a result, when faith is lost, it can cause the mind and body to seek out other sources of comfort, leading to dangerous behaviors and the development of substance use disorders. This article discusses the role of spirituality in addiction treatment and how, for some, it can be a helping hand towards recovery.

Straying Further from Faith

Addiction can also result in a loss of faith due to the negative emotions that may occur. Addiction can create a barrier that prohibits engagement in faith practices, whether this barrier is mental, physical, or societal. As a result, many individuals with substance use disorders find themselves straying away from faith, especially if they have struggled with the topic before.

Losing Hope

Loss of faith is often associated with a loss of hope and other negative emotions, especially in those accustomed to spirituality. It can result in an increased risk of addiction, although addiction itself can also lead to the loss of hope and, consequentially, faith.

No Purpose

Faith also acts as a symbol of purpose, and the sudden loss of it can result in many conflicting feelings. Feeling loss or as if life is meaningless can increase the risk for the development of different mental disorders, such as anxiety or depression, which often co-occur with substance use disorders and addiction.¹

Integrating Faith in Recovery

What is Faith?

00:00 many people think that faith means 00:02 believing something 00:03 without any evidence or verification or 00:06 worse 00:07 they think that faith is just a 00:08 subjective feeling about something 00:11 such as god or the meaning of life both 00:14 of these views 00:15 make faith out to be something 00:16 unreasonable or 00:18 irrational but both of these views are 00:21 serious mistakes 00:22 about what faith is so what is faith 00:26 and is it possible for anyone to live 00:28 without it 00:33 [Music] 00:38 sometimes people believe something 00:40 because it is evident to their senses 00:43 for example the sun went down at 7 pm 00:45 this evening 00:46 why do you believe that i saw it and 00:49 looked at my watch as it was happening 00:51 someone might say 00:53 or the water on the stove is getting hot 00:56 why do you believe that 00:58 because i touched it the person might 01:00 say at other times 01:02 people believe something not because it 01:04 is evident to their senses 01:06 but because it is evident to their 01:07 reason 01:09 two plus two equals four or every whole 01:12 is greater than a part of it one can see 01:15 these things 01:16 and other truths like them with the eyes 01:18 of intelligence 01:20 now when someone judges something to be 01:22 true 01:23 either because it is evident to their 01:25 senses or because 01:27 it is evident to their reason the 01:29 judgment is not a matter of faith 01:32 it is a matter of knowing these things 01:35 one sees such truths either with the 01:37 senses 01:38 or with the mind sometimes however 01:41 one believes something not because it is 01:44 evident to one's own senses 01:46 or because it is evident to one's own 01:48 reason but because 01:50 someone else sees it and testifies to it 01:53 perhaps a friend saw the sunset at 7 pm 01:56 while you were inside 01:58 and reported it to you believing 02:00 something on the word or testimony of 02:02 another person 02:04 is called faith faith then is not a case 02:07 of believing something without any 02:09 evidence or reason at all 02:11 but a case of believing something with 02:13 another kind of evidence besides 02:15 one's own senses or reason faith 02:19 is believing something on the word of a 02:21 witness 02:22 if the witness is trustworthy then it is 02:25 quite reasonable to believe the 02:26 testimony 02:28 when faith is properly understood for 02:30 what it is 02:32 as believing something on the word of 02:33 another it is clear that faith 02:36 is an ordinary and natural part of human 02:39 life 02:40 when a doctor says you have a specific 02:42 disease for example 02:43 to believe the doctor is an act of faith 02:46 when a history book says george 02:49 washington camped at valley forge in the 02:51 winter of 1777 02:53 to believe the book is an act of faith 02:57 when a teacher of a foreign language 02:59 says this is how a certain word is 03:00 pronounced 03:01 to believe it is an act of faith 03:05 when you believe your mother when she 03:06 tells you where you were born 03:08 it is an act of faith same two with 03:11 believing your birth certificate 03:13 when your mother tells you that this man 03:15 is your father 03:17 that too is an act of faith who else 03:20 knows that but she and if you say that a 03:23 dna test 03:25 confirms that this man is your father 03:27 well 03:28 unless you are an expert in reading dna 03:30 tests 03:31 that too is an act of faith in the 03:34 expert 03:34 in fact to learn how to read dna tests 03:38 requires many acts of faith in science 03:41 textbooks over the course 03:42 of one's education and scientists 03:45 regularly make acts of faith 03:48 when they report their findings to one 03:50 another and believe one another 03:52 in practice they do not double check 03:55 each other's 03:56 every claim with independent experiments 03:58 or studies 04:00 in fact human beings will take 04:02 tremendous risks 04:03 on the faith we have in one another 04:06 every time someone flies on a plane for 04:08 example 04:09 the airline company says what they say 04:12 in effect we are going to put you in 04:15 this metal tube 04:17 lift you up thousands of feet into the 04:19 air 04:20 and hurl you through the sky at hundreds 04:23 of miles per hour 04:24 but you will be fine just trust us 04:29 and people trust the airlines every day 04:31 and climb on board knowing full well 04:34 that from time to time planes crash and 04:37 burn 04:38 and people die or think of a case of 04:40 someone with a brain tumor 04:43 after being diagnosed with a brain tumor 04:45 the surgeon says 04:47 okay so you need brain surgery in the 04:50 surgery 04:51 first i'm going to cut open your skull 04:54 then i'm going to take a knife and 04:56 insert it into your brain 04:58 then i will cut out the tumor and 05:01 probably a portion of your brain 05:03 with it but you'll be fine just trust me 05:07 and people go in for brain surgeries 05:09 every day 05:11 flying on planes going for surgeries and 05:13 other acts of faith are all ordinary 05:16 and reasonable things to do if someone 05:18 were to try to live 05:19 without ever believing what other people 05:21 say that person would become 05:23 dysfunctional 05:25 how would you ever learn history science 05:28 foreign languages 05:29 or even your first language in fact 05:32 how would you learn someone's name you 05:35 meet someone for the first time 05:36 hi my name is joe what's your name bob 05:40 i don't believe you prove it 05:43 relationships go nowhere without 05:45 faith in fact how do you know your own 05:49 name 05:50 someone told you perhaps your parents or 05:53 family members 05:54 all of this goes to show just how 05:56 central faith is to human life 05:59 faith is a natural and inescapable part 06:02 of life 06:03 and without it neither individuals nor 06:06 societies 06:07 could function faith in general 06:09 therefore is a reasonable thing 06:12 it is of course necessary to consider 06:14 our sources 06:15 think about who we are believing 06:17 consider their qualifications and 06:18 credentials 06:20 and evaluate it all with care but it is 06:22 not 06:23 possible to double check all one sources 06:26 all the time so just what the 06:29 requirements are for double checking 06:31 is a big philosophical question but 06:34 it is safe to say that credible 06:37 witnesses 06:38 make for a reasonable faith now what 06:41 does all of this have to do with 06:42 christian 06:43 faith what we have been discussing so 06:46 far 06:46 is human faith the faith that human 06:48 beings naturally and ordinarily 06:50 have in each other's testimony but from 06:53 the earliest days 06:55 christians saw a comparison or analogy 06:58 between that natural and ordinary human 07:01 faith 07:02 and the supernatural gift of faith in 07:04 god 07:05 and jesus christ for example it says in 07:08 the first letter of john 07:10 if we believe the word of men how much 07:12 greater 07:13 is the word of god in other words 07:16 if it is a reasonable thing for human 07:18 beings to have faith in the word 07:20 of merely human witnesses even though 07:23 humans are fallible and often mistaken 07:26 how much more reasonable is it for us to 07:28 have faith in the word of god 07:30 who is infallible makes no mistakes 07:34 and cannot either deceive or be deceived 07:37 another example in the first letter to 07:39 the thessalonians 07:40 saint paul says and we also thank god 07:43 constantly for this 07:45 that when you received the word of god 07:47 which you heard from us 07:48 you accepted it not as the word of men 07:51 but as what it really is 07:53 the word of god that passage shows how 07:56 conscious the early christians were 07:58 of believing not only human testimony 08:00 but divine testimony 08:02 the word of god so too it should be with 08:05 us 08:06 what we believe by faith is not merely 08:08 human testimony 08:09 but the word of the living god there are 08:12 many signs to confirm that it is 08:15 in fact the word of god the signs are 08:18 accessible to reason 08:19 and we shall look at them in later 08:21 videos and yet 08:23 faith is not born from merely rational 08:26 reflection upon evidence or signs 08:29 faith is a gift of god born from the 08:31 spirit of truth 08:32 at work within our souls and 08:34 illuminating everything 08:37 the spirit moves us to believe in 08:39 coordination with the whole church 08:42 to believe everything that god has 08:44 revealed 08:48 for readings podcasts and more videos 08:50 like this go to aquinas101.com 08:52 while you're there be sure to sign up 08:54 for one of our free video courses on 08:56 aquinas 08:57 and don't forget to like and share with 08:59 your friends because it matters what you 09:01 [Music] 09:06 think 09:11 you

Finding ways to incorporate faith and religion into recovery programs for substance abuse disorders has shown to produce several additional benefits, including a higher rate for the development of optimistic mindsets, increased access to and willingness to accept social support, and several more factors.² Many methods of addiction treatment have begun to address faith, spirituality, and religion, including:

12-Step Programs

Faith and recovering from substance use disorders have long gone together. Several 12-Step programs, such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, were founded on the principle of utilizing faith to create a comprehensive program designed to target mental and physical needs during recovery.

Most often, religious 12-Step programs include various inferences to religion, such as repentance and prayer to help overcome obstacles during recovery. Some programs are solely Christian-based while others may explore other religions or faith as a whole.

Overcoming Guilt

Substance use disorder is a mental health disorder that has been stigmatized. As a result, it is common for patients to experience guilt and other negative feelings.

While therapy and other treatment practices aim to correct this mind frame and self-perception, addressing it from a faith standpoint is also beneficial. Many religions and spiritualities offer a method of repentance, which can aid in displacing these feelings of guilt.

Overcoming Shame

Like with guilt, many individuals may feel shame as a result of their addiction. Many religions, such as Christianity, deal with ethics and human dignity. Often, religious texts establish human dignity as an inalienable aspect that all are deserving of regardless of history. This belief can help foster a positive and healthy self-image, which can aid in treatment for addiction.

Positive Factors

Religious and faithful communities can act as positive influences and can form a positive community that can provide support to those undergoing addiction treatment.

Filling the Void

Often, substance abuse occurs as a coping mechanism in response to negative feelings, especially emptiness. Integrating faith into addiction treatment can help fill these voids and heal the source of addiction.

Search for Purpose

One common void that may be encountered is a lack of purpose in life. Religion and spirituality can help provide meaning.

Acceptance

While providing methods to overcome guilt and shame, faith in addiction treatment also creates the opportunity to find acceptance in a supportive community.

Surrender to Divine

When combining faith with addiction treatment, the ability to surrender to the divine can take some stress off the mind and body. Individuals may feel less alone during the addiction treatment process and journey to sobriety.

Surrendering to the divine can also help alleviate some existential stress that may trigger periods of anxiety or depression. Religion and spirituality can provide answers to many questions that can elicit stress in daily life.

Faith-Based Therapy for Sober Living

What is Sober Living?

00:00 hello my name is pej i'm a drug 00:02 interventionist 00:03 i specialize in helping people who are 00:05 suffering with drug addiction 00:07 alcoholism mental health and many other 00:09 disorders 00:10 today we're going to talk about sober 00:11 livings the importance of sober livings 00:14 what their purpose is why people go to 00:16 sober livings 00:17 what kind of sober livings are out there 00:19 and what kind of sober livings people 00:20 should be going to okay so what are 00:22 sober living sober livings are basically 00:24 homes where people are 00:25 required to go for a while after they've 00:27 gone through treatment 00:28 or if their lives aren't working for 00:30 them to stay sober now what kind of 00:32 sober livings are there out there 00:33 there's a lot of people that call their 00:35 home sober livings that there's actually 00:36 people that are actively using 00:38 drugs in those sober livings sometimes 00:40 the house manager 00:41 is supposed to be managing a house but 00:43 they're not sober i believe 00:45 that any type of house that allows 00:48 people to smoke weed in 00:49 it or where people are not completely 00:51 sober isn't a solid sober living 00:54 i do believe in a structured sober 00:55 living environment what does that 00:57 consist of 00:58 that means that the management is very 01:00 serious about their own recovery if 01:01 they're in recovery 01:02 and they oversee a house where they hold 01:04 people accountable definitely drug 01:06 testing is of great importance 01:07 people are usually going to sober 01:09 livings because they've been to 01:10 treatment centers before 01:12 they've been incarcerated in jail they 01:14 are you know 01:15 homeless for a while and their lives 01:17 aren't working for them 01:18 because of their drug addiction or their 01:20 alcoholism that they've been engulfed in 01:21 for a long time 01:22 so they need a sober environment where 01:24 they're held accountable a good 01:26 structured sober living is basically a 01:28 house where people are not allowed to be 01:30 there during the daytime they need to be 01:31 out and about 01:32 on job search also a good sober living 01:36 is that of one which definitely 01:38 emphasizes 01:39 the importance of recovery being 01:42 very serious about coming into sober 01:44 living as far as wanting to stay sober 01:47 long term and then really doing the work 01:49 that it takes to be in recovery 01:50 however that may work some people will 01:53 continue to be an outpatient and they're 01:54 in sober living 01:55 some people have already finished their 01:57 treatment process 01:58 and now they need to get you know 02:01 integrated into a community 02:03 build a support group go to meetings 02:06 12-step meetings if you will get a 02:08 mentor get some kind of spiritual 02:10 advisor some people call them sponsors 02:12 have that person take you through the 02:13 12-step process if that's the way you 02:15 roll 02:16 and it's of great importance for that 02:17 person to stay in sober living for a 02:20 while 02:20 before they just go and try to get their 02:22 own place again because any person that 02:23 gets their own place 02:25 right after they are newly sober without 02:28 any kind of guidance or 02:29 doing any really deep rooted work on 02:31 themselves might get the place 02:33 might get the stellar job but if they 02:35 don't have recovery they will tank those 02:37 they will lose the job 02:38 they will lose the apartment that's just 02:40 how it goes i've seen it time and time 02:42 again 02:42 places that aren't adequate sober 02:44 livings are called flop houses 02:45 basically they're just somebody who has 02:47 gotten a house put some beds in it 02:49 they don't have a lot of rules people 02:51 aren't required to do chores 02:52 anything like that is basically a place 02:54 where somebody is just going and 02:55 existing 02:56 they're not really about long-term 02:57 recovery they're basically taking a 02:59 break from using and drinking 03:00 that is why sometimes when there's no 03:02 structure within a sober living and 03:04 somebody goes through a place like that 03:06 they don't really have a good influence 03:07 they're not influenced by the house by 03:09 the management 03:10 or they have no friends in the community 03:12 when you don't have any friends in a 03:13 sober community 03:14 you're by yourself and then you become 03:15 an isolator you're basically a ticking 03:17 time bomb and there's a great chance 03:19 that you may relapse 03:20 i never wish relapse upon anyone but if 03:23 you don't have a good community 03:24 and you're not engulfed in some kind of 03:26 recovery program you're as good as 03:28 loaded a lot of times when people go to 03:30 sober living i encourage their families 03:32 to 03:32 really push them in that direction don't 03:34 bring your loved ones back into your 03:36 home if that's where they were actively 03:38 using and drinking 03:39 it's pretty much the lion's den it's 03:41 everything that they ever felt before 03:43 they are back in their old environment 03:45 if they come back to your house 03:47 it's they see the same room that they 03:48 were using in it can become triggering 03:50 and they could use again 03:52 so there's a great chance that they 03:54 might the best thing is to 03:56 push them in the direction of going to 03:57 sober living for a while but make sure 03:59 that you choose your sober living wisely 04:02 scout out sober livings go by reputation 04:05 know who's overseeing know who the sober 04:07 livings are connected to 04:09 make sure that there's really solid 04:10 sober living and often it's good to know 04:12 if somebody's overseeing or owning a 04:15 sober living 04:16 are they in recovery and how serious do 04:17 they take their recovery to 04:19 so if you or someone you know is seeking 04:21 a sober living and you need a good 04:23 connection 04:23 you can always call me at this number 04:25 right here and i will guide you in the 04:26 right direction 04:27 nationally i'm connected to all of the 04:29 good sober livings

Faith and faith-based therapy can provide comfort beyond recovery – it can also be a beneficial aspect of continuing to live a sober life.

Faith Can Change

Faith is a personal connection to aspects of higher precedence, and, as a result, it can change to fit the patient’s needs. When living a sober life, versatile faith-based therapies can help promote mind and body balance while addressing different topics regarding spiritual living.

Source of Strength

Faith and faith-based rituals like prayer can act as a source of strength for many individuals. Spirituality and religion can offer a support group like those conducted interpersonally. However, unlike support groups and group therapy sessions, individuals can access this source of strength and comfort at anytime and anywhere.

Role of Religion in Addiction Treatment

Addiction treatment can come in many forms and utilize a combination of treatment methods. Understanding the role of religion in addiction treatment helps understand the benefits it can provide.

Faith Community Support Groups

Building lasting, meaningful connections is one of the most important parts of undergoing addiction treatment. Having a community, whether already established or developed through treatment, can provide the patient with a framework for support, allowing them to express their emotional needs.

For many individuals with substance use disorders, support can come in the form of support groups and group therapy. These treatment methods are highly valuable and shown to be efficient.

Many individuals may also find this level of support in guidance in faith community support groups. These can be casual, unstructured support groups, such as a church community, or organized groups led by a religious leader.

Higher Power Source of Comfort

With religions centered around a higher power or other forms of deity, patients can find comfort, most often through religious rituals or prayers. They can be beneficial at all stages of recovery during addiction treatment, as patients are still able to find comfort and solace when they may not be able to access their support groups or medical professionals.

Rigid Rules and Morals

The difference between religion and spirituality is the presence of rules and rigid moral standards. It can be beneficial in addiction treatment as it helps establish and provide structure in daily life while also acting as a guide in decision-making.

Worship Services

Worship services provide many different benefits, depending on the structure and focus of the day. On days with a focus on worship, services can provide a period, usually three to four hours long, of joy where the community gathers in gratitude and thanksgiving to celebrate. It provides a spirit of optimism and encouragement.

Worship services with an emphasis on moral and spiritual teachings, however, help patients whose addiction treatment is influenced by their faith to better their spiritual knowledge and learn new ways to react to the environment.

Study Groups

Study groups provide many of the benefits of worship services but on a more intimate level. With study groups, the smaller group size promotes a feeling of community and can create a safe space for faith edification.

Role of Spirituality in Addiction Treatment

While addressing religion in addiction treatment can be beneficial, not all who are spiritual are religious. As a result, addressing the role of spirituality is also significant in understanding the overall role and benefits of faith in treatment.

Spirituality Without Religion

Understanding the difference between spirituality and religion can be important when discerning the benefits of integrated addiction treatment. While religion focuses on an organized group with a particular set of rules and beliefs, spirituality is much less liturgical and focused on personal connections and interpretations of higher precedence. Not all spiritualities feature deities, but they do share a focus on nurturing the spirit.

Inclusive Approach

As a result, while some addiction treatments such as AA and NA are based on Christianity, other programs and treatments take an inclusive approach by addressing spirituality. They can focus on healing past traumas to help better the spirit while aiding in the body’s recovery from a substance use disorder.

Clinical Significance of Spirituality in Addiction

While most results of spirituality in addiction treatment may be anecdotal, there are clinical results that show how fostering a greater sense of faith, whether through religion, spirituality, or other sources, can benefit patients and increase positive results.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the state of being aware of both cognitive and behavioral functions. It is a healthy connection between thoughts and actions and may also be known as mind control.

Mindfulness is often taught through mediation that is focused on encouraging active focus on the environment, thoughts, and feelings in a mindset that is free from any forms of judgment. It can be achieved through prayer and spiritual reflection.

Practicing mindfulness can help create holistic awareness and a mindset more attuned to the relationship between the body and mind.

Some of the benefits of practicing mindfulness through faith-based addiction treatment include:

Stress relief
Improved mental state
Improved physiology
Reduced chronic pain
Increased optimism and positivity

Connection

Faith-based addiction treatment is beneficial due to its proven ability to promote connectedness in many forms.

First, a connection can be achieved for an improved relationship between the mind and body. It is like the goal that CBT sets to achieve but does so in a way that does not require the presence or guidance of a therapist. It is patient-led and tailored to specific needs.

However, the utilization of study groups and faith-based 12-Step programs, and similar treatments can also help foster a sense of connectedness within the community. It can help develop a support system beneficial during and after treatment.

Practicing Gratitude

One significant factor of faith-based recovery is providing the opportunity and guidance to practice gratitude. Doing so can help foster a sense of optimism and appreciation for small victories, which is extremely beneficial in faith-based healing and recovery in drug abuse treatment centers.

The act of practicing gratitude also requires reflection, both on how the mind and body reacted to a situation and the reality of that situation. It can promote accountability for behaviors and thoughts while also encouraging accurate introspection that can be used to better perspectives and produce better decisions and choices in the future. While it can be achieved through different methods, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, practicing gratitude does so while maintaining an optimistic atmosphere.

Accountability

Practicing religion while seeking addiction treatment can result in an increased sense of accountability. Accountability can aid in positive decision-making skills and increased critical thinking during challenging situations.

Mental Wellness

Mental wellness is a significant aspect of pursuing substance abuse treatment in a drug addiction center. As much as the physical body is of importance, so are the mental aspects, which is why promoting mental wellness through activities is significant.

Mental wellness can also improve the relationship between mind and body and can help cultivate a healthy internal space.

Positivity

Positivity is one of the most notable clinical aspects of religion in addiction treatment. As first expressed by Florence Nightingale, bedside manner and the atmosphere around that recovery can influence the success of treatment. By maintaining a sense of optimism and encouraging positivity, faith-based addiction treatment can help bolster the success of treatment and can result in more successful and healthy recoveries from substance use disorders.

Treatment Method for Addiction with Spirituality or Religion

What is the Point of Spirituality?

00:03 The word spirituality has a capacity to divide people like few others. For some, it’s an 00:10 innately beautiful touchstone, the designator of a special kind of experience that is so 00:15 valuable, it is best left reverentially unexplored and pure, lest one disturb its ethereal mysteries 00:23 with the cold hand of reason. For others, it’s nonsensical bunkum of appeal only to 00:31 adolescent dreamers, the underemployed and the weak minded. But precisely because ‘spiritual 00:37 experiences’ are so often either worshiped or derided, it pays to try to submit them 00:43 to dispassionate and sober examination, not in order a priori to crush them or honour 00:50 them, but so as to make them more intelligible, to friend and foe alike. Whatever our suspicions, 00:58 spiritual moments are capable of being pinned down, split into their constituent elements 01:03 and assessed with due regard. One should – and can – get respectfully rational about spirituality. 01:11 Spiritual moments’ belong to a mood that most of us 01:16 will only ever irregularly and perhaps haphazardly access, a mood in which practical concerns 01:23 are, for a time, kept entirely at bay and we accede to a slightly unnerving yet also 01:29 thrillingly oblique perspective on existence. During these moments, the ordinary world and 01:35 its pressures are kept at a distance from us. Perhaps it’s very early morning or late 01:41 at night. We might be driving down a deserted motorway or looking down at the earth from 01:45 a plane tracing its way across Greenland. It might be high summer or a deep-winter evening. 01:52 We don’t have to be anywhere or do anything, there are no immediate threats or passions 01:57 and we are liberated to consider the world from a new and unfamiliar angle.The essential 02:04 element is that we are able to look ‘beyond the ego’. Our customary state is – more 02:10 than we are generally even aware – to be heavily invested in ourselves: we aggressively 02:15 defend our interests, we strive for esteem, we obsess about our pleasures. It is exhausting 02:22 and pretty much all consuming. But in a spiritual moment, maybe helped along by the sound of 02:28 flowing water or the call of a distant owl, the habitual struggle ceases, we are freed 02:34 from our customary egoistic vigilance and we can do a properly extraordinary thing: 02:41 look at life as if we were not ourselves, as if we were a roaming eye that could inhabit 02:47 the perspective of anyone or anything else, a foreigner or a child, a crab on a seashore 02:53 or cloud on the hazy horizon. In our spiritual state, the ‘I’, the vessel that we are 02:59 usually supremely and exhaustively loyal to, ceases to be our primary responsibility. We 03:06 can take our leave and become a roaming vagabond promiscuous thing, a visitor of other mentalities 03:13 and modalities, as concerned with all that is not us as we are normally obsessed by what is. 03:23 As a result, a range of emotions that we would typically feel only 03:28 in relation to us can be experienced around other elements too. We might feel the pain 03:34 of someone we hardly know; or be gratified by the success of a stranger. We could take 03:40 pride in a beauty or intelligence to which we were wholly unconnected. We can be imaginative 03:46 participants in the entire cosmic drama. There might, in all this, be a particular emphasis 03:56 on love. That could sound odd, because we’re used to thinking of love in a very particular 04:02 context, that of the circumscribed affection that one person might have for a very accomplished 04:07 and desirable other.But understood spiritually, love involves a care and concern for anything 04:15 at all. We might find ourselves loving – that is, appreciating and delighting, understanding 04:21 and sympathising – with a family of dung beetles or a moss covered tundra, someone 04:27 else’s child or the birth of a faraway star. An intensity of enthusiasm that we usually 04:33 restrict to only one other nearby ego is now distributed more erratically and generously 04:41 across the entire universe and all its life forms. Spiritually-minded 04:50 people might at this point say that they can feel the presence of God inside them. This 04:55 may be a particularly enraging remark for atheists, but it is more explicable than it 05:01 sounds. What they may be trying to say is that, in certain states, they are able to 05:05 experience some of the generosity, nobility of feeling, and selflessness traditionally 05:11 associated with the divine. It isn’t that they promptly imagine themselves as bearded 05:16 men on clouds, it means that the objectivity and tenderness we might ascribe to a divine 05:22 force now seems, momentarily, to be within their grasp. Spiritual moods may 05:32 usher in especially anxiety-free states. No longer so closely wedded to ourselves, we 05:38 can cease to worry overly about what might happen to our puny and vulnerable selves in 05:44 the always uncertain future. We may be readier to give up on some of our ego-driven, jealously 05:51 guarded and pedantically-held goals. We may never get to quite where we want to go, but 05:56 we are readier to bob on the eddies of life, content to let events buffet us as they may. 06:03 We make our peace with the laws of entropy. We may never be properly loved or appropriately 06:08 appreciated. We’ll die – and that will be just fine. And yet at the same time, a 06:16 particular gaiety might descend on us, for a huge amount of our energy is normally directed 06:21 towards nursing our ego’s wounds and coping with what we deep down suspect is the utter 06:27 indifference of others. But that no longer seems like a spectre we have to ward off and 06:33 we can start to raise our eyes and notice life in a way we never otherwise do. Our invisibility 06:40 and meaninglessness is a given we now joyfully accept, rather than angrily or fearfully rage 06:47 against. We don’t quake in fear we might not be a somebody, we delight and embrace 06:53 the full knowledge of our eternal nullity – and delight that, right now, the blossom 07:00 looks truly enchanting in the field opposite. We cannot persist at a spiritually elevated plane 07:10 at all times, there will inevitably be bills to be paid and children to be picked up. But 07:16 the claims of the ordinary world do not invalidate or mock our occasional access to a more elevated 07:23 and disinterested zone. Spirituality has perhaps for too long been abandoned to its more overzealous 07:31 defenders who have done it a disservice. It deserves to be explored most particularly 07:37 by those who are by instinct most suspicious of it. A spiritual experience is neither ineffable 07:44 nor absurd; the term refers rather to a deeply sustaining interval of relief from the burdens 07:51 and blindness of being us. 07:56 Our online shop has a range of books and gifts that address the most important and often neglected areas of life, 08:04 such as finding a good enough partner and mastering the art of confidence. Click now to learn more.

With the additional benefits that spirituality and religion can introduce, it is common now for several popular addiction treatment methods to utilize faith in bolstering recovery. They often come as an alternative form of treatment, such as a different route to counseling or support groups.

Counseling

Counseling can be a beneficial experience for everyone, even those not seeking addiction treatment. While it is often thought of in terms of psychology and therapy, counseling, at its root, is a guided conversation with a focus on patient improvement.

Many faith-based organizations provide counseling services. They involve pairing patients with a community leader, such as a pastor or rabbi, and fostering professional, productive conversation.

Support Groups

While Christian-based 12-Step programs such as AA and NA are some of the most common support groups for those with substance use disorders, they are not the only spiritual- and religion-based options available.

Support groups can come in a variety of different forms, including religious and secular. These combine a community setting, which has been shown to result in additional benefits as well as an increased risk for recovery, with a familiar structure.³ For those with a focus on religion and spirituality, it can also help individuals develop deeper spiritual connections and practices aimed at producing an overall sense of mental and physical wellness.

Therapy

Without spirituality or religion, therapy, especially psychotherapies such as CBT, is a beneficial aspect of addiction treatment.⁴ Therapy allows the patient to form a professional connection with a mental health physician who will guide them through understanding behaviors and perspectives through several methods.

However, therapy can occur in a non-medical setting. Many faith-based organizations, such as churches or synagogues, offer therapy and counseling services that pair mental health guidance with teachings regarding higher powers.

Combination

Different forms of treatment offer various benefits. Therapy may provide medical benefits that are beneficial to fostering understanding of the mind, while support groups can provide a sense of companionship between those with similar circumstances.

As a result, it is not uncommon for several addiction treatments to be combined and utilized together. It allows patients the opportunity to reap the benefits of many treatment methods, helping create a holistic, multifaceted treatment plan with an increased rate of recovery.

Traditional and Faith-Based Healing

This combination also includes traditional treatment methods, such as psychotherapy, utilized alongside faith-based healing methods. Often, it is the most recommended form of treatment, as it allows the patient to approach their substance abuse disorder from multiple perspectives.

Resources

Our Healing Environment

Located in the welcoming coastal atmosphere of Pacific Beach, CA, we help families connect with each other by connecting to the earth. Our eco-psychological approach makes the most of our environment: our clients can engage in guided healing outside of our office while surfing and exploring what beautiful Southern California provides.

Between our commitment to collaboration, emphasis on spirituality, and focus on nature, we are the only outpatient provider of this kind in the Pacific Beach area.

Start Healing Today

Pacific Beach Health is the community’s only outpatient provider specialized in integrative behavioral health care. If you are looking for help or would like to schedule a consultation, we are ready to help you today.

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Licensed by the State of California Department of Health Care Services
License Number: 370202AP
Expiration Date: 11/30/2025.

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